FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

As China-Bashing Proliferates, Trump Praises His Relationship with Xi Jinping

Feb. 23, 2018 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump made strong remarks in praise of the U.S.-China relationship, at his joint press conference Feb. 23 in Washington with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Trump said, “We’ve got a great relationship with China, but they’re killing us on trade.” He continued, “My relationship with Xi is extraordinary. I like him, and I think he likes me.”

Trump expounded on this further, in response to a reporter who raised a point about Defense Secretary Mattis calling China a revisionist power (which is also stated in the recent National Security Strategy). Trump said,

“China’s tough. And they’re getting stronger. But previous administrations have let that happen. But our relationship with China has never been better. I think we can have a good relationship with China and I hope that my relationship to President Xi will allow that to happen.”

Even Turnbull replied to the question. “I have seen the positive relationship President Trump has to President Xi,” Turnbull said.

“And we have to see China’s rise as important for the region and the world. There are people that want to try to paint the United States and its allies like Australia as being against China in some sort of rerun of the Cold War. But ... that is not accurate.”

He said,

“Our concern should only be about maintaining the rule of law. The rule of law is there to protect everybody. And everybody has a vested interest in it, the big countries as well as the small.”